10 new spine procedures proposed for ASC payable list

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released the 2015 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System Policy Changes and Payment Rates earlier this month, and they include 10 new spine procedures, according to an ASCA report.

The proposal recommends a 1.2 percent payment update for ASCs and 2.1 percent payment updates for HOPDs, and currently HOPDs receive 81 percent more than ASCs for the same services. If the rule is approved without changes, HOPDs would be paid 85 percent more than ASCs for the same services.

A spine surgeon and ASC administrator gave a presentation on spine procedures performed in the ASC setting earlier this year, showing they are safe and effective. The new procedures proposed for the ASC payable list include: